Familia Ante Omnia
by SirArthurNudge
Summary: Set in Alt.Future from "Crucible." The Vakarians meet Gaius. A one shot I found hidden among my files. Decided to post. :)


**This is a one shot that was hidden amongst my files. It was supposed to be put into "Crucible" at some point but I didn't get a chance. I am posting as a one-shot instead. I hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Familia Ante Omnia

_-Family Above All-_

Palaven was hot, bright and hot again.

Shepard was sweating even as the doors to her ship opened, her hair clinging in damp tendrils around her face.

Gaius was not taking to the heat too well either but what was really bothering him was the light.

He chirped and mewled in distress as he hid his face into his mother's shirt front.

Garrus had assured Shepard that he would be better in time, that infants on Palaven are normally hidden away from the bright light until they were about a year old. Gaius was barely five months.

They only needed to go a short distance to meet with Garrus and his father but already it seemed too far away.

* * *

Stepping off the ship, Shepard was so focused on soothing the clinging and distressed baby that she walked absent-mindedly head first into a wall of turian.

"I am so sorry! Oh..."

Shepard trailed off as she recognised who she had run into.

Avitus Vakarian was not a figure easily forgotten.

"Hi." She stuttered out feebly.

"Spectre," Avitus greeted with clear and concise tones derived from his years working at C-Sec.

His head tilted at the sight of Gaius who was busy rubbing his sore eyes in her shirt front and mewing.

"Is that...," He began before Shepard interrupted, her nervousness overcoming manners.

"This is Gaius. Come on, sweetie. Take a look! This is your... grandad."

The mewling baby was far too busy digging his face into her shirt to notice anyone new.

Avitus had a look on his face that she had seen once on Garrus's own, and that was when he had first held Gaius.

She was not surprised that the comparison popped up in her mind. Her son had met his father for the first time only the day before.

She smiled as she watched Avitus look over his grandson.

"Is everything... okay with him?"

"Perfect. As perfect as the doctors can guess right now anyway."

Avitus nodded then cleared his throat with a cough before he next spoke.

"If it is alright with you, I would very much appreciate the opportunity to hold him."

"Oh. Of course! He doesn't like the sun so much so..."

"Ah yes. Forgive me. I have brought some things that I thought Garrus might forget. I believe he called to you yesterday morning?"

Avitus handed her a bag that he had held in his left hand.

Shepard took it gratefully. "He did. Just a quick visit. With Perdita being due any-time now, I had thought he would hold off on it until after she gave birth."

"That would not be like my son. I would fully expect him to want to see his first born as soon as possible."

Shepard smiled at the older turian before flicking through the bag's contents. She found it held some nice baby turian items including little tunics, toys and diapers.

"Thank you! You didn't really have to buy so much. These are lovely!"

Avitus waved off her gratitude.

"There should be some eye covers in there somewhere."

Fishing her hand around inside, she found what Avitius was talking about; a pack of items that looked the tinted lens from sunglasses but with more flexibility. These lens could be easily stretched. They also had some sticky surfaces on the edges to allow them to be attached securely to a baby turian's plates.

"I hope these work, otherwise Gaius is going to be very cranky for the rest of the day. If you don't mind just holding him to me for a second?"

"No, of course not."

She passed Gaius to his grandfather.

* * *

Shepard heard Avitus take in a breath and hold it.

When she glanced up from her work with the lens, she looked upon a sight she had not expected.

Avitus was holding his grandson up high, letting the baby sniff and then touch his face with his small fingers. Gaius's little eyes were still squinted and watering but he was now more interested in the turian in front of him to notice his discomfort.

Once Gaius had completed his inspection, he stopped moving, wrinkled his tiny nose a little and then, in a sudden burst of excited movement, accidentally head butted his grandfather. Shepard had to smother a laugh.

Gaius was rubbing his little face like a kitten on his grandfather's cheek plates while rumbling that tiny purr of his and mewling.

Avitus let out that held breath, laughed and then hugged the little boy to him tightly. A deep rumble began in his chest. The older turian inhaled deeply, obviously picking up Gaius's scent before he gently began rubbing his face back against the baby's.

* * *

"Hey Shepard. I see you have introduced my father to Gaius."

Garrus had suddenly materialised beside Avitus. He may have addressed Shepard but his eyes locked on Gaius. His father was chuckling while bouncing the baby whom he had let tug on his right mandible.

"Hey Garrus. It is good to see you," Shepard said awkwardly.

"It's good to see you too. The both of you. Your message said you were running late and I didn't think you would have time to meet us at the park like we had planned. I thought we might pop over to collect you instead. Save you the hassle of driving at the very least."

"Thank you and sorry about the lateness. Still getting used to, well, all of this," Shepard said with a smile.

Garrus watched a little wearily as his son gripped Avitus's right brow plate. Garrus coughed before continuing.

"I see you and Gaius are already fast friends, Dad."

Avitus chuckled. "Oh, of course we are. He is just so curious."

He gently pried the baby's little fingers away from his brow plate and settled him comfortably in his arms before addressing Shepard.

"He is beautiful. And very healthy from what I can see. A credit to you, I think."

Shepard smiled. "Yeah, he is. Maybe add to that list that he is more than a little trouble too..."

Avitus smiled, gently nuzzled Gaius's fringe then said softly, "I think it is time for you to get those eyes protected, little one. Can't have those beautiful blues damaged before they even get to see the home-world properly. There is so much to show you."

He stroked Gaius's tiny fringe. "Commander, are the lens ready?"

"Oh yes. I had almost completely forgot. Here. Lets see if we can get these on..."

* * *

Gaius let his mother fix the first lens on without incident then attempted to eat the second one every time it drew near.

Avitus chuckled, "Now, little one! You need to give your poor mother a break."

Gaius leaned back in his grandfather's grip to gaze at him as Shepard swiftly attached the second lens.

The baby was perplexed by the new things on his face. His little fingers picked at them before eventually he became bored and yawned.

Avitus turned to Shepard and fixed a steady gaze on her as he hoisted Gaius slightly higher in his arms.

The older Vakarian turned his attention fully to Shepard. "I am glad you arrived safe and sound." He smiled at her. "It is, as always, a pleasure to meet you, Spectre."

"Jane. Just call me Jane."

Avitus smiled. "All right, Jane."

He lifted Gaius up until he went comfortably into the front pocket of his cowl. Gaius disappeared momentarily before he managed to pop his head and little five-fingered hands out over the edge.

Sidonis had been the first to explain that particular habit to Shepard, something which he done automatically to calm Gaius when the baby had been particularly frantic or upset during their journeys together.

Turian babies kept quite small, almost the size of premature human babies, until their brains developed enough to register when they were in serious danger – which was around the same time that they figured out walking.

Even after that, they kept substantially smaller than human children before under going bursts of growth from around the age of seven. A key reason for that retained small stature, even as they grew up, was so that they could easily hide from threats. A turian toddler was always about a year behind a human in height, even at the same age.

As babies during times of danger – or even during regular activities – turians could be scooped up and placed securely inside their parents cowls, ensuring that they were always cared for.

* * *

"So I hear you are going to leave for the Citadel soon to look at suitable properties?"

Garrus answered for her. "We both will. I have asked Shepard to stay for a couple of weeks. Until after Perdita has given birth at the very least so I will be able to go with her. I want to inspect the properties as well to make..."

Avitus merely held up his hand and Garrus automatically stopped.

Shepard chuckled. Old habits died hard it seemed.

"I understand. There will be a lot to think about for both of you when finally making that choice. I had hoped to at least solve one issue for you, Jane. I would very much like to help you with buying and furnishing where you choose to live."

Shepard gaped. "I really can't accept..."

Avitus gazed intently at her with Gaius's head sticking out from the turian's cowl; the baby looking around at everything inquisitively.

"And why not? It is my gift to you and to my grandson. You two are not the only ones who want the best for him."

Shepard hummed uncertainly.

Avitus continued. "The cost of the accommodation alone will be very high. Let me take some of that pressure off you. You will have enough to do with raising him. If it makes you feel better, you can repay me by putting me up for the times that I visit."

She let out a nervous laugh. "It sounds like you intend on being a regular visitor."

"I do indeed."

Avitus leaned his head forward and nuzzled the back of the baby's own, who happily chirped in response.

"I intend on playing an active part in his life."

Shepard bit her bottom lip. "All right... I mean, thank you. It is greatly appreciated, Mr Vakarian."

"Please, call me Avitus. Calling me 'Mr Vakarian' makes me want to turn around and look for my own father."

* * *

Shepard chuckled softly and was about to reply when Gaius choose that very moment to squeak loudly as he spotted some colourful ribbons and banners floating in the light breeze. He half clambered over the edge of Avitus's cowl to get a better look before gravity took hold and he tumbled over the rest of the way.

Garrus and Shepard, both in a panic, made to grab the falling baby when his descent was stopped. He was expertly caught on one hand by his grandfather.

"He most certainly takes after you, my boy." Avitus murmured a little shakily as he lifted Gaius back up to head height where the grateful child clung to his face plates and cooed.

"I guess he does," Garrus murmured, his gaze locked on Shepard who was smiling at the scene in front of her.

Avitus eventually had to tear his attention away from Gaius. "I had said to Sol that I would bring you all to her apartment for some lunch. She has even managed to cook some sort of levo dish although I am not entirely sure how edible it actually is."

He looked back at Gaius who was busying himself chewing on the end of his grandfather's left mandible.

"But I think we can make an earlier stop for food before then. If Gaius's enthusiasm for my mandible is any indication, I think he might be a bit hungry."

Garrus smiled. "I think that's a great idea, Dad."

"I agree," added Shepard.

* * *

Whatever fears she had held about Gaius and the Vakarian family were very quickly dispelled.

Just prying him out of his grandfather's or aunt's arms was a hard job.

Her son loved all the attention, of course, and cooed his way through most of the day.

Her heart had clenched tight in her chest when she found both Gaius and his grandfather having a late afternoon nap; her son happily curled up in Avitus's cowl with his grandfather's sleeping head leaning over, covering some of his little body.

Garrus's sister, however, had a lot more energy than that and had dragged Shepard out to what remained of some local shops.

Cipritine was still rebuilding but they were getting there. The relays had only reopened fully a few weeks before. With the return of the fleet to the Trebian system, the turian people had focused their efforts intensely on recovery. They had done incredible work since then.

Sol and Shepard returned late in the day with more clothes for the baby.

When they had returned, Garrus had listened patiently as his sister had complained over tea about the stores not having the right shoes or gloves for Gaius, about how she would have to get something quickly put together for her nephew but that they were definitely going to need those items tailored for him.

Shepard had chuckled quietly to herself at Garrus's careful nodding replies, clearly not interested in the discussion on clothes.

When she had queried Garrus on when he was returning home, he had been non-committal.

"Perdita is at her father's house for the night. I have no real need to go anywhere. Just have to make sure my omnitool is on," he had said.

At the end of the day, she sat with Avitus on the balcony and talked. There was lot to be said and discussed, not least of all the uncertain future of the baby cooing inside.

"I will admit that I get afraid sometimes..."

Avitus raised a brow plate at her. "And there I was under the impression that the great Commander Shepard never felt fear."

She laughed. "Oh I do. Right now, I am afraid for Gaius. For all those like him."

Avitus smiled at her warmly. "Have no fear. Let me tell you of an idea an old friend of mine and I have had..."

* * *

Garrus was content.

He and his sister had talked as if they had not in years, the conversation flowing so easily between them.

She told him things he had not known; of their father's joy at the message of Gaius's birth; how she had personally expected Gaius to be some sort of weird combination or abomination of human flesh with turian plate and how their father had said that no matter what the baby was, he would still be family.

Then she had spoken softly, her voice brimming with pride, of how their father had sent a picture to her earlier that day of a very turian Gaius smeared in emzo sauce while Shepard tried to clean it off with a napkin. He had added to it a brief message saying "Our family has gotten bigger by two. Your nephew and sister can't wait to meet you. See you soon."

Garrus had sat quietly then with Gaius.

The first peaceful moment he had for almost the entire day. If he was really honest with himself, since before the entire war.

His son sat happily in his lap with his father supporting his back, trying at points to chew on his toes and the many soft toys scattered around him.

Shepard and his father sat outside, drinking tea and trading stories while enjoying the sunset.

Solona was busy setting up the spare bedrooms as she insisted that none of them leave that night and rebuffed any attempts by anyone to help. He knew what it was really about for his sister. It was the first time since their own mother had passed that they had all been together in one place.

From where he sat, he could hear her humming and singing an old tune as she worked; the gentle murmurings and occasional laugh from where Shepard and his father sat; and Gaius's little mewling chirps to himself.

He gave a contented sigh.

Here, surrounded by family, was a quiet moment just for the Gs of the family.

Gaius looked up at him and mewed happily before yawning.

Garrus carefully laid the baby out on his legs before he draped a blanket across the infant.

The little turian started chewing on his hand while dozing. Garrus gently pried the tiny appendage out of the equally tiny mouth before he stroked his son's nose ridges.

He chuckled faintly as Gaius scrunched up his face.

For the first time in a very long time, a turian named Garrus Vakarian was just happy.


End file.
